Effect of laser parameters and atmosphere in the structuring of aluminum nitride

The characteristics and formation mechanism of V-shaped groove formed by laser-activated metallization of aluminum nitride (AlN) ceramic under different shielding gas environments of air, nitrogen, and argon are investigated, using a novel analysis way which is based on the intensity distribution of the focused laser beam. It is found that the width of the V-shaped groove is slightly different under different gas environments, and the depth of the V-shaped groove is nearly the same, which means that the energy thresholds required for laser decomposition of AlN ceramic are different in various gas environments: air > nitrogen > argon, and the energy required for laser etching AlN ceramic is the same. It is also found that the nonlinearity in the curves of depth and width versus different machining parameters, which are explained in detail.